SAD rally kicks off poll campaignBJP leaders conspicuous by their absenceAlamgir (Ludhiana), July 2
All roads leading to the historic Manji Sahib gurdwara here, on the outskirts of the city, were a virtual sea of blue and saffron. The turn out at the first district conference, which the Punjab Chief Minister, Mr Parkash Singh Badal, described as the formal commencement of such district level conferences all over the state in days to come, was not only impressive, but even beyond the expectation of the organisers, as some of them pointed out.

Participants at the SAD (B) rally at Gurdwara Manji Sahib,
Alamgir, respond to a “jaikara” with the cries of “Bole so nihal”.
— Photo Rajesh Bhambi.

Cops collect funds for ‘Jassi Nite’Ludhiana, July 2A show of popular Punjabi pop singer, Jasbir Jassi, scheduled to be held at Jagraon on July 14 is generating lot of heat with several persons levelling allegations that the Raikot police, which has certain office-bearers among the club organising the “Jassi Nite”, was “using its office” to collect funds for the show.

PSEB staff to gherao ParliamentProtest against privatisation of power boardsLudhiana, July 2Employees of the Punjab State Electricity Board will gherao Parliament on July 24 as part of the nationwide protest against the privatisation of state electricity boards. The gherao is being organised by the National Campaign Committee of Electricity Employees.

Man shot dead outside
bankLudhiana, July 2In a daring daylight robbery attempt, two unidentified robbers brandishing guns shot dead a youth, employed as a medical representative, outside the Bank of Baroda near Dholewal Chowk here this afternoon.
The robbers could not decamp with the cash as in a hurry they
snatched his bag containing medicines, thinking it to be full of
cash.

The scene outside Bank of Baroda in Ludhiana after the shooting incident on Monday.

Another show-cause notice to PAU ProfLudhiana, July 2Even as Chief Minister Parkash Singh Badal has given a clean chit to some teachers of Punjabi University, Patiala who were accused of violating service norms by speaking to the press and criticising the Vice Chancellor, not taking any cue from Patiala, the Punjab Agricultural University authorities continue to “gag the academician”.

Row over vice-presidential pollFatehgarh Sahib, July 2The election to the post of vice-president of the Municipal Council, Sirhind, Fatehgarh Sahib, has given rise to a controversy with a group led by Dr Harbans Lal, Congress MLA, and supported by SHSAD councillors claiming that their candidate, Mr Rakesh Verma, was elected vice-president with 16 out of 28 members supporting his candidature, whereas the SAD-BJP group led by the council president, Mr Ashok Sood, claimed that the election was postponed as the election process could not be completed due to a scuffle among the members.

Two labourers held for murderLudhiana, July 2The urge to teach a lesson to a man who was making advances to a female relative led to the murder of a labourer by two migrant labourers who strangulated him and later dumped the body in a vacant plot near Jagraon.

Job hunt — a big challengeLudhiana, July 2Finding suitable employment is the biggest challenge today in a country like India. With population of entire Australia being added every year to the existing numbers in the country, finding a job has proved to be like looking for a needle in the haystack.

DYC charges MC with
failureLudhiana, July 2The District Youth Congress today charged the Municipal Corporation with failure in providing a storm water drainage system, causing massive loss of property in low-lying areas, with some posh localities also being inundated due to the recent rains.

Encroachments galore on Brown
RoadLudhiana, July 2 Brown Road, which winds itself up to the CMC Hospital from in front of the Laxmi Cinema, has become a virtual nightmare for commuters, thanks to encroachments on its both sides.

Shocks shock hospital employeesLudhiana, July 2Members of the Brown Memorial Hospital Employees Union have expressed concern over the incident in which two of their members received severe electric shock on Saturday.

Karuna got what he deserved:
RamoowaliaLudhiana, July 2The leader of the Lok Bhalai Party, Mr Balwant Singh Ramoowalia, has hailed the arrest of DMK leader and former Tamil Nadu Chief Minister K. Karunanidhi, and said he deserved it.

Power cut timingsLudhiana, July 2According to the information provided by the Power Controller, Patiala, power cuts in the state will be assessed on daily basis and the supply will depend upon rains. If power cuts are required to be imposed in the Khanna circle comprising Khanna, Mandi Gobindgarh, Sirhind, Payal and Bassi Pathana divisions the timing will be from 12.30 PM to 2.00 PM and from 4.30PM to 6 PM.

Telephones
out of orderLudhiana, July 2Communication from Nangal village, 25 km from here, has been cut off from the rest of the state for the past three days after a crane of the Irrigation Department cut telephone wires while cleaning up a sewerage drain.

Two
murdered in cityLudhiana, July 2
Two persons were murdered due to old enmity in separate incidents in Focal Point last night. The police had identified the accused but was yet to arrest them.
In the first incident Ram Parvesh, a worker with Nitic Factory, was murdered allegedly by another labourer Keshvar.

Gold chain snatchedLudhiana, July 2
Karanjit Kaur, a resident of Guru Nanak Colony has complained to the sadar police that an unknown scooter driver snatched her gold chain while she was shopping in a market. The police has
registered a case in this regard.

PCCTU protest beginsLudhiana, July 2
The Punjab and Chandigarh College Teachers’ Union began its protest against the non-implementation of the pension and gratuity scheme here today.
PCCTU president K.B.S. Sodhi said college teachers would continue to protest till their demand was met.

Ludhiana, July 2
All city colleges affiliated with Panjab University re-opened
today. Students were busy filling in their admission forms. At Master Tara Singh Memorial College for Women, several students had come to procure admission forms for BA I following the declaration of Class XII results by the Punjab School Education Board on Saturday.

Students of Master Tara Singh Memorial College for Women fill in their admission forms as the colleges re-opened on Monday.
— Photo Inderjeet Verma

PAU scientist honouredLudhiana, July 2Dr G.S. Dhaliwal, Professor of Ecology, Punjab Agricultural University, has been conferred with the “Scientist of the Year award-2000” by the National Environmental Science Academy, New Delhi.

Ludhiana, July 2More than 300 students of the Indo-British
Cultural Academy had a chance to exhibit their talent at a
competition ‘Hit the Heat-Boogie Woogie Show’ last night.
The children were dressed like the artistes who had danced on
those songs in the videos. The
songs chosen were mostly Punjabi, the beat was thumping and the
children excited. They danced with enthusiasm in spite of the
stuffy atmosphere inside the Royal Resorts where the function
was held. The dancers were divided into two groups, above nine
years and below nine years.

Gastroenteritis cases on the riseLudhiana, July 2
The tall claims by the Health Department of being fully prepared to deal with all kinds of health problems arising out of the rainy season notwithstanding, there has been a spurt of gastroenteritis and cholera cases in the city during the past few days.